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The Revenant Review

The Revenant could be the movie that finally gets Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar win for Best Actor but will this be the case?

DiCaprio has been desperate to win the award and after several attempts to try and get the gold it is now looking like the wait is over, despite strong competition from Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Michael Fassbender and Eddie Redmayne, he is the current favourite after picking up the Golden Globe for his role as Hugh Glass.

So how was the movie?

First thing that needs to be made important is that you have to go into this movie with the right expectations, if you are expecting an action revenge thriller, you will be disappointed and won’t enjoy it for what it actually is. But if you go into it with an open mind and watch the film unfold it will be a thrill ride like no other that captures the beauty and devastation of nature.

The director, Alejandro Inarritu, does a fantastic job creating a story with such harrowing circumstances but somehow makes the world beautiful and some of the images shown are simply breathtaking and make you understand how nature can be so peaceful but at the same time violent. The way he portrays survival, death and quick acts of violence are excellent but a criticism of the film is that at some points it was dragged out slightly too long.

Another criticism of the film could also be the revenge plot as it seemed like an afterthought just to give the film a structure and ways to show off the beauty in nature. The plot is certainly not the reason to watch the film but the characters are fantastic and very well played but somewhat refreshing is that the main character is not one of the actors, but nature itself. At times it feels like you could be watching a documentary as the world moves around the characters, with the bear attack being a highlight.

This should not detract from the amazing performance put in by DiCaprio who does not speak much in the film but puts his all in. His actions are the main focus of the film as we see his struggle to survive which he performs brilliantly. Tom Hardy should also not go unnoticed as I believe this is his best performance to date with his brutal and gritty portrayal of Fitzgerald. However, it is on the odd occasion difficult to understand him, and it can be frustrating when he slightly loses his accent. A special shout out also has to go to Will Poulter, who is a real star in the making.

I would definitely recommend this film but for me it falls into the same category as ‘Requiem for a Dream’ I think everyone should give it a watch but I can’t explain why, it needs to be watched because of its realism and grittiness and the feeling of this could happen to you or someone you know.